New York Racing Association

John G. Dooley, a fixture in the announcer's box at numerous Midwest tracks, has been tabbed to replace Bill Downes as the voice of racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis Race Course, the former Indiana Grand Racecourse. Eric Halstrom, the vice president and general manger of the track, revealed the news in a tweet Friday afternoon. A native of Staten Island, New York, Dooley graduated from St. John's University on Long Island and served as an intern at the Meadowlands and at the New York Racing Association before accepting his first announcer's...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public and where. CALIFORNIA Track: Santa Anita Date: 01/28/2022 Licensee: Richard Dean Greenman, trainer Penalty: Required to participate in a fitness for licensure hearing before being permitted to get re-licensed (his license having expired in August of last year). Violation: N/A Explainer: Acting on an Order of...

Bob Baffert's five-day hearing on "detrimental conduct" charges levied by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) closed Friday with NYRA's attorney arguing that the Hall-of-Fame trainer has trashed the sport with such an unprecedented litany of medication violations that NYRA needs to be allowed to punish him, while Baffert's lawyer countered that the real extraordinary aspect of the case involves vendetta-based accusations that could result in draconian sanctions NYRA has never before attempted to impose upon any other trainer. "Bob Baffert is not a cheater," the trainer's attorney, W. Craig...

Edited Press Release The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has canceled Saturday's live racing program at Aqueduct Racetrack due to a powerful winter storm forecast to impact the New York City metropolitan area. A National Weather Service (NWS) winter storm warning goes into effect for the downstate region at 7:00 p.m. Friday and continues through 7:00 p.m. Saturday. The NWS forecast, which aligns with NYRA's independent weather services, is calling for 8-12 inches of snow along with sustained high winds with gusts exceeding 45 mph. These conditions will produce...

Bob Baffert testified for about 3 1/2 hours in Thursday's hearing to determine whether the New York Racing Association (NYRA) can exclude the trainer over alleged "detrimental conduct." Much of the testimony consisted of exchanges between the Hall of Fame trainer and NYRA attorney Hank Greenberg, whose attempts to rattle Baffert were largely unsuccessful. The Hall of Famer stuck to what has been the narrative from his team since the issues of his repeated medication violations first arose--that each offense involved mitigating circumstances that explain why he wasn't deserving of...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has named Frank G. Gabriel, Jr. the successor of Martin Panza as Senior Vice President, Racing Operations. Gabriel will assume the position February 3 following the departure of Panza last October. As SVP of Racing Operations, Gabriel will be responsible for leadership and oversight of racing functions at NYRA, including the overall development, planning, and execution of NYRA's premier stakes offerings, marquee events, and daily racing programs. With more than four decades in Thoroughbred racing, Gabriel brings a wealth of experience into the role....

Under pressure of cross-examination that questioned his credibility, a retired New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) steward launched into a nearly five-minute tirade just before the close of Wednesday's hearing to determine whether the New York Racing Association (NYRA) can exclude trainer Bob Baffert over alleged "detrimental conduct." Voice cracking with emotion and punctuating points by banging his fist on the witness table, Stephen Lewandowski, who served as the state steward at NYRA tracks between 2014 and 2019, lost his cool after testifying in support of Baffert and then facing...

The concept of perception versus reality has been a core plank on both sides of the highly publicized "detrimental conduct" case ever since the New York Racing Association (NYRA) first tried to banish trainer Bob Baffert eight months ago. On Tuesday, the second day of a hearing process that could lead to Baffert's exclusion from New York's premier tracks, the murky interpretation of who should be considered the true victim and which entity is in need of protection from harm rose to the forefront in the form of arguments over...

Attorneys in the hearing pitting NYRA vs. Bob Baffert made their opening statements Monday in what turned into a sparring session, with one side claiming NYRA Board members had a vendetta against Baffert and the other contending that the Hall of Fame trainer was responsible for a "rampage of doping violations" and is deserving of a temporary suspension. The hearing, expected to last from three to five days, will determine whether or not NYRA's attempts to suspend Baffert over a rash of medication positives, including one in the 2021 GI...

Jockey Christian Ramos has tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain off his mounts at Aqueduct through Sunday, Jan. 16, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced Thursday. All members of the NYRA jockey colony are vaccinated and adhere to established protocols. In addition, the jockey quarters at Aqueduct Racetrack have been substantially altered to provide maximum physical distancing and reduce density. Ramos sought testing Thursday after experiencing mild symptoms. He received the test result early Thursday morning and was not on-site at Aqueduct. NYRA follows the most updated federal...

The New York Racing Association's 2021 race meets conducted at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course generated all-sources handle of $2,373,772,916 and average daily handle of $11,809,816 over 201 race days, NYRA announced Thursday. Average daily handle on the NYRA circuit has increased 21.6% since 2019, when average daily handle over 217 race days was $9,714,868. Average daily handle in 2020, which featured 157 race days, was $11,553,727. All sources handle for 2021 was $265,646,547 higher than 2019, an increase of 12.6%; and $559,837,825 higher than 2020, a...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and FOX Sports have reached an agreement with the latter acquiring exclusive media rights for the GI Belmont Stakes, beginning in 2023. The eight-year agreement runs through 2030 and includes the entire Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which is the multi-day event of top races preceding the Belmont S., as well as a new title sponsorship deal which grants NYRA Bets the title sponsorship to the Belmont S. "FOX Sports has quickly become the year-round home of the finest Thoroughbred racing in the country,"...